


A grand opening

by XxFireRainDramaXx



Series: Moments in Time [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Background Relationships, Character Study, First Love, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 01:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30097959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxFireRainDramaXx/pseuds/XxFireRainDramaXx
Summary: The newest branch of Glorious Goods opens and more reunions are had.
Relationships: Shaun Gilmore/Original Male Character(s), Shaun Gilmore/Vax'ildan
Series: Moments in Time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2198265
Kudos: 8





	A grand opening

**Author's Note:**

> CW: brief mention of minor character deaths, grief etc. Really its a rather happy fic though.

Shaun wakes just as dawn begins. It has only been a few hours since he went to sleep but he knows there’s no chance he’ll get back asleep this morning. Once he gathers himself up he flicks off a quick fire bolt to light the wood on the stove and heat the water he prepped for tea last night. He doesn’t bother getting dressed yet, just throws on a long sleep tunic tossed on the back of a chair in the room. He waits for it to boil sitting on the balcony looking down at Ank’Harel. He might not be able to sleep but overall he’s rather calm for the occasion. He’d expected to be nervous today but his stomach is calm and mind clear. He supposes last night helped. But overall, he’s ready. He’s proud of what he created.

He forgets to check the water before it boils. Its a rather fancy kettle tea pot, apparently designed recently in Ank’Harel to let out a whistle upon boiling so the user doesn’t forget and let it evaporate away. The kettle itself has intricate designs etched into the brass and enchanted to be forever cool to touch even if plucked directly from fire. It was a gift from J’mon Sa Ord themself. A gift upon the announcement of the opening of the Ank’Harel location of his shop. He still gets chills upon the thought of the great leader giving him any kind of consideration. One of his fondest memories still was telling his parents how he got to have a one-on-one conversation with them. They were enraptured by the tale.

As the whistle cuts through the air Shaun curses under his breathe as he quickly crosses past the bed to the small cooking alcove on the other side of the room. He takes the water off and begins to brew some tea, wincing to himself as he hears the man in the bed stirring. He aimed to be quiet and let him sleep in but Shaun got distracted out on the balcony.

He sets a few pastries on the tray as well and brings it to the bed instead of outside, casting an extended levitate to keep the tray up and easily accessible on the side of the bed long enough for breakfast. When he catches Amin watching him as he casts he makes sure to give an extra flourish to the hand movements and tacks on a prestidigitation so that a small spray of purple and gold sparks gently flutter around the tray until it settles in place.

Amin seems suitably impressed letting out a small whistle and Shaun flashes his most charismatic smile as he crawls back into bed. Amin tells him good morning in between yawns, pushing up so he’s sitting on the bed and stretching his arms. Shaun waits for him to get settled and fully awake before handing him a cup of tea. He sips on his own as Amin peers out the window to see the sun still low in the sky.

“You up at dawn… never thought I’d see the day.” he smirks, voice still a bit sleepy.

Shaun lets out a chuckle. “Shockingly, I have developed slightly better habits from when I was 17.” Amin nods amenably, blowing on his tea gently before sipping it.

They ran into each other entirely coincidentally about a year and a half ago. Shaun was back in Shandal two months after he’d buried his parents to clear out the house. Hagmar came with him, leaving Bran and the little one back in Whitestone. She insisted on coming claiming he’d need help moving the furniture but of course they both knew she was there for emotional support. She’d questioned him one last time about selling the house but he made up his mind. Without mama and papa he didn’t want to come back to this village. The only thing he had there was memories now. Shuan was already thinking about an Ank’Harel location of his store before his parents passed and there was no reason for him to be teleporting the tiny village anymore when he could easily go directly to the city.

They’d cleared through everything in the home, either selling or giving away anything that didn’t hold sentimental value for Shaun. They had just finished up his old room when they heard the knock on the door. He’d packed up everything he wanted to keep, including the wardrobe with his teleportation sigil he magically shrunk to fit in one of the several bags of holding he’d brought with him.

He knew the buyer was coming by today but was unsure who was coming. He hired someone in town to deal with the sale, not in the mood to bother advertising and haggling the sale of his childhood home while mourning his parents. He had no need to be concerned with money anymore, and was finally old enough to appreciate the value of not being concerned with profit at a time like this.

Hagmar opened the door and welcomed them in, but he could overhear that whomever was at the door was not particularly practiced in Common so he put the last bag he was packing down and walked out of his room. He stopped in his tracks seeing who was at the door however. The man was in his early 40s like him, with a greying beard and wrinkles starting to develop. But regardless of the signs of aging it was still that same face he remembered from his youth. The same umber skin with a little scar on his chin. The same curls framing his forehead and expressive brown eyes. A smooth voice that washed memories over Shaun greeted him at the door. He froze for a moment seeing Amin for the first time in decades.

After a couple seconds in shock he remembered his manners and greated Amin properly, inviting him in.

“Shaun… I wasn’t sure if you’d be here or not. In the market they said the seller inherited the house. I didn’t know if it was you or if the house changed hands before. I’m glad I decided to stop by. It is good to see you. Please give your companion my regards, I’m sad to say I never picked up your knack for learning languages.”

Shaun nodded still a little astonished at seeing his old love again. “Of course. Good to see you too. You look well. You, uh, you bought the house?”

Amin shakes his head no and flashes Shaun a grin. “No, no. I live in Ank’Harel now. My parents are still here so I visit every few months. I work for one of the larger trading companies there so it is quite easy for me to hitch a ride on a caravan when I feel like it. I heard about the house and decided to stop by.” He gives an even bigger smile as he adds “It’s been a while, no?”

Shaun nodded in agreement. “Too long. Far too long.” He just started to get his bearings back when Hagmar interjects.

“Well I think I’ll walk over to the market and pick up some food for lunch. Give you two a chance to catch up.” She gave Shaun a friendly punch on his arm and emphasized the words “catch up” with a wink before blatantly nodding her head in Amin’s direction and giving Shaun two thumbs up once she was behind Amin’s back. Shaun shook his head, annoyed his friend could read the situation so well without even speaking the language.

They’d caught up that afternoon. Amin described the vibrance of Ank’Harel. They’d discussed losses and personal tragedies. Amin’s brother died a few years back Shaun was very sorry to find out. Amin had gotten married before but it didn’t work out and they’d divorced years prior. Before Amin finally left Shaun gave him a hug before pulling out the box of letters they’d exchanged that he’d kept under his childhood bed. He handed it gently to Amin.

“It somehow doesn’t feel right to take them away from here. Back to Tal’Dorei. Perhaps you could keep them for some time? I suppose I’ve hoarded the memories enough.” Amin gave him a shining smile upon realizing Shaun kept their letters all this time. It had Shaun lingering at the doorway staring into Amin’s honey eyes until he heard Hagmar snort at them under her breathe and he was forced to turn to flash her his most devilish glare. She teased him relentlessly, and he gave as good as he got it, but today he felt at a disadvantage being caught off guard with the situation.

They’d kept up a light letter exchange ever since. Once Shaun completed his planning and purchases and was ready to officially open up his Ank’Harel branch of the shop he sent a letter informing Amin. Amin responded happily and extended an invitation to meet whenever Shaun was in town.

The building Shaun procured was right by the market. It was a larger space than Emon, no need for any enchantments. The upper floor he’d converted to a living space and office. All one big room, clearly intended for storage, but Shaun had enough magically enchanted storage cabinets and shelves already and it saved on having to buy a home.

He still intended to spend time in Emon and Whitestone but Sherri was perfectly capable running the Tal’Dorei locations. He was enjoying living in the city of Ank’Harel part-time so far. He’d given her an ownership stake in those locations when he shared his plans to split his time Tal’Dorei and Ank’Harel. The more he considered the idea of opening a location in his homeland the more it called to him. He’d made peace with his parents and found himself enjoying his trips back to Marquet. After they passed he found himself missing his monthly trips home, a tradition he established after their reunion when he fled Vasselheim seeking comfort. And with all the business ties he already had established it seemed the most logical expansion given he was more successful than ever in Tal’Dorei.

Amin played tour guide for Shaun when he arrived. They got to know each other again as adults, sipping tea and smoking hookah in the evenings after Shaun finished working on the shop each day. This past night they finally fell into bed together once again. It felt like something of an inevitability after their re-connection but it took months for them to act upon it. They were young when they met but the intensity of their relationship wasn’t lessened by age. They loved each other bright and hard and fell out with each other just as quickly. But Shaun always had a place in his heart for Amin, he supposed anyone does for their first love. Because Amin’s family spent their time traveling between Shandal and another local village when they were teens they’re love affair was documented by letters he could never bear to get rid of except to pass them along to Amin that day.

Whatever hurts they’d had during their breakup had long since blunted by the passage of many years. He loved hearing Amin’s tales of traveling through the desert as a trader. Amin was fascinated by his stories of magic and adventure. They’d fallen into conversations for hours and hours the same way they did as youth. Not least of all to mention, Amin only got more handsome over the years. After that first encounter in Shandal Shaun certainly spent some evenings indulging in curious speculation as to how Amin’s technique may have improved. It had been quite some time since they fumbled their way through their first experiences with physical intimacy together all those years ago and Shaun certainly had some new tricks up his sleeve.

Amin admitted to him last night he’d had similar thoughts. Shaun of course endeavored to put on his best performance and it certainly seemed safe to say neither of them fell asleep unsatisfied last night.

Shaun lets himself get lost in his reminiscing on their reunion as he sips tea next to Amin, absentmindedly carding his hand through Amin’s curls. He’s startled from his thoughts when Amin lets out a gasp. He looks over and Amin is looking delightedly at the tray, which is now gently floating down amid a bed of purple sparkles until it settles on the floor.

“Hmm? Oh. I can cast again if you aren’t finished.”

Amin turns at him with a wide grin shaking his head. “I forgot how impressive you were.”

Shaun smiles widely and leans in to press a quick kiss to Amin’s lips. It turns into a lengthy kiss that he’s reluctant to separate from. Shaun soaks up praise like it is the sun and Amin gives it so freely and genuinely.

“You can stay in bed, go back to sleep if you like. I’m heading downstairs, do some last minute prep.”

Amin nods, and reaches down to pour himself another cup of tea. “I might take you up on that for a bit more. Holler if you need help.”

Shaun gives him a smile before quickly dressing and heading down. There’s nothing to be done really, he’s prepped this over and over again, but he still fiddles with the shelves and back-stock to keep his mind from wandering too much with nerves.

Some time later, after the sun is fully risen, he hears a unique pattern of knocks at the front. He flashes a grin recognizing the pattern and unlocks the door with a wave of his hands from across the room.

“UNCLE GILMORE” he hears a yell a few seconds before a blur of candy coated sticky hands and a beautifully curly afro barrels towards him. He doesn’t have time to get his hands down to stop her from hitting his knee, but the beaming smile looking up at him as she hugs his leg is worth having to grit his teeth to stop from cursing in pain. He lifts her into a bear hug and smacks a kiss to her forehead as she giggles then sets her on the counter.

“Now this just cannot be my darling goddaughter...why you must have grown two inches since I saw you last!” He casts to shoot some sparks that form into little unicorns flying around her head before fizzling off. She giggles entranced and claps her hands.

“Again! Again!” she pleads.

He smiles indulgently and shoots off sparks of moving flowers this time even as he hears Bran scolding her.

“Shauna, that’s enough. Say thank you to your Uncle.”

She pouts for a moment as the sparks fade and don’t reappear but then gives a wide grin to Shaun.

“Guess what!”

“What’s that, my little unicorn?”

She opens her mouth wide and he can see that she’s missing a couple teeth.

“Wow!” he exclaims.

“I know! Two in one week! And mommy said if I was very good and kept my room clean a fairy would come and give me money for my teeth. And I woke up yesterday and I looked under my pillow and I got five silver!”

“Goodness!” He smiles as she chatters on, telling him about the castle tutors and the unique adventures of experiencing life in Whitestone as a small child.

“Oh and guess what! I kept my silver! Mommy said maybe then I could be your first ever customer!”

He laughs at that, loud and boisterous. “Darling, it would be my absolute honour.”

Hagmar and Bran join and they all catch up. He kisses them hello and thanks the couple for making the journey here to see his store open. They’ve become some of his closest friends alongside Allura and Kima. Allura is too tied up in council politics in Emon to come to Ank’Harel and Kima of course is staying with her darling wife. In celebration however they spent a night on the town before he left. He hopes one day he may yet recover from the hangover but any suffering was worth the pride of drinking Lady Kima under the table (quite literally). Hagmar squeezes his arm and leans her head against his shoulder as he talks about his plans for the store going forward. She nods towards the portrait of his parents he has hanging up behind the front counter with a soft smile at one point, and Shaun squeezes her hand tightly ever grateful for her support and gentle teasing these past months as he mourned his parents loss.

"We got you something" she whispers to him when Shauna is distracted by a unicorn figurine on the counter. He raises his eyebrows as Hagmar nods her head meaningfully to Bran and he pulls something out of his pack. It is a piece of amber, smooth and about the size of his palm. Preserved inside is a single feather. It stands on a base of wood with a small symbol of the mask of The Raven Queen carved into the wood. "From when we prayed at Raven's Crest the last time we visited Vasselheim." Shaun sighs, speechless for a moment before pulling his friends into a hug and whispering his thanks. There was some irony in the fact his friends he met just as he lost the man he was in love with to the Matron happened to be lifelong worshipers of the Raven Queen. At first it caused him pain, to seemingly be unable to escape reminders of the Goddesses that took away his best friend, but now he wonders if perhaps the fates nudged them together. For better or worse She clearly had a role to play in Shaun's life, and he can never resent that Vax was given the gift of championing a God herself beyond death, an honour he can think no one is more deserving of. He gently places the symbol right underneath the portrait of his parents. Not for the first time, he wonders if perhaps Vax'ildan himself guided them into death, regaled them with tales of his adventures as they gently left their bodies laying next to each other in bed. It is a comforting thought, that they would have seen a friendly face at the end. 

He wipes the tears from his eyes with a deep breathe and with one last hug begins to pester Hagmar and Bran for more gossip out of Whitestone until the mood lightens again. Closer to mid-day Shaun startles as he hears Amin heading down the steps. He blushes upon realizing he hadn’t thought this particular situation through, but before he can open his mouth to try to talk his way out of it Amin is stepping through the doorway with a nervous smile on his face upon seeing the group of people.

Bran smirks to himself but waves hello politely, before awkwardly attempting a Marquesian greeting. Amin smiles a little wider at that and returns the greeting. Shauna spares him a passing glance and a mumbled “hi” but is mostly busy poking through any shelves she can reach to find things to play with.

Hagmar of course has no such tact. She smacks Shaun on the arm and grins up at him with a wicked smile. “Your friend from the village! How kind of him to come all the way up here just to give you some.. _companionship_ on your big day.” She emphasizes ‘friend’ and ‘companionship’ with a ridiculous waggle of her eyebrows as though a toad couldn’t hear the innuendo in her voice. “And saving him the cost of a room at an inn too apparently. How generous.” Bran has to duck his head into his elbow to contain his laughter at that, and Shaun glares as he feels his face heating up. 

“What’s so funny?” Shauna asks, looking up and seeming to realize she’s missing out on whatever the adults are discussing. Shaun quickly replies “Oh I’m sure your mother would love to explain everything.” and when Hagmar chokes on her laughter he mutters “serves you right.” Shaun presses his lips together and ignores the redness rushing to his cheeks as he rushes over to Amin and greets him with a chaste kiss on the cheek. He quickly whispers in Marquesian. 

“I’m so sorry, I forgot they were coming by early and I just got caught up talking and didn’t warn you..” he trails off but Amin just gives a gentle laugh and runs a hand across Shaun’s shoulder. He’s blushing just a bit but seems to find Shaun being flustered amusing more than anything else. Hagmar is perhaps the only person in Exandria he’s met that can continually throw him off his guard.

Shaun speaks up  in Common now. “Everyone, this is my friend Amin. Our parents lived in the same village growing up, I’ve known him for quite some time.  He  lives in Ank’Harel now, we’ve recently reconnected. ” He continues, this time in Marquesian,  pausing to roll his eyes when Shauna murmurs a sarcastic “I’ll bet” under her breathe . “Amin,  previously  you’ve had the misfortune of meeting Hagmar. This is her husband Bran, and their child Shauna. My goddaughter.” He adds on at the end proudly. He repeats  the introduction in Common minus the dig  out of politeness. 

Amin smiles at the three of them, greeting them formally in Marquesian and then in heavily accented but entirely correct Common, “Hello, it is nice to meet you all.”

Shaun grins hearing this, but drops into a glare directed at Hagmar when she comments towards Amin “I do love your robes, how stylish. I wonder where I might find a pair.”

Due to some...enthusiasm last night, Amin’s tunic is folded neatly on a table requiring several castings of mending before it is wearable again. Shaun curses himself for not thinking to fix the shirt before heading down this morning, because Amin is of course currently wearing one of Shaun’s lighter robe sets instead. A fact Hagmar is obviously aware of given the wicked grin on her face not to mention she’s seen Shaun in that outfit many times.

Amin glances at Shaun with a question in his eyes, clearly unsure how to respond. He shakes his head minutely at Amin before loudly announcing, “Come, we should eat while I have the chance, it’s almost time to open.” and steering everyone towards the door before Hagmar can get another word in.

He turns as they all exit to lock the doors again and spends a second staring at the newly posted sign above the shop doors before joining his friends.

“ **Geddmore’s Glorious Goods** ”


End file.
